How to Apply for an India Visa Online

Contact Infomation

In November 2014, the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) or “E-Tourist Visa” (now aptly called as “E-Visa”) replaced the special visa-on-arrival policy in India and it is divided into 3 categories, namely:

E-Tourist Visa

E-Business Visa

E-Medical Visa

This might sound like a hassle to you, but it is very easy to apply for an Indian visa or E-Visa because the process is fast, simple and straightforward.

Step 1: Determine if you are eligible for an Indian E-Visa

There are, of course, various types of Indian Visas that you can apply for, and with the E-Visa they have 3 categories : E-Tourist Visa, E-Business Visa, and E-Medical Visa.

For this particular guide, I will only be discussing the requirements for an Indian E-Tourist Visa since it’s an experience that I’ve gone through myself. For this, you must first determine if you are eligible by reviewing the following conditions:

You must be a citizen of the following countries or territories (this is as of November 2017):

NOTE: If your point of entry to India is in another place that’s NOT listed above, you will then have to apply for an India visa near you.

Your sole objective of visiting India must be for recreation (sightseeing or tours) or casual visit to see friends or relatives. (Remember that this tourist E-Visa is NOT allowed for employment purposes and NGO/volunteer activities. If you’re a journalist or if you’re visiting India for a conference, there is a separate visa for that which you can apply directly for at an Indian Embassy).

You have a passport that has at least six (6) months of validity from the date of your arrival in India. The passport should also have at least two (2) blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer.

You must have a return ticket or onward journey ticket, as well as sufficient money to spend during your stay in India.

You do NOT hold a Diplomatic/Official passport or Laissez-passer travel document.

Your parents or grandparents were NOT born nor have lived in Pakistan. If they are, even if you’re a citizen of the aforementioned eligible countries, you are ineligible to get an online Indian Visa or E-Visa.

Once you’re sure that you ARE eligible to apply for an online tourist Indian Visa or e-Visa as based from the eligibility rules above, please proceed with the instructions below.

Step 3: Process your Indian Visa application online

The Government of India only does E-Visa applications through this website: indianvisaonline.gov.in. Take note that facilitation by any intermediary, agents, etc. is NOT required to process this kind of online Indian Visa. After all, it’s easy and it’s best that you do it yourself.

In order to do the application, just follow the steps below:

Visit the E-Visa website at indianvisaonline.gov.in.

Click the orange button that says “e-Visa Application”. This will open up a short form which you will need to fill out. The rest of the fields are self-explanatory; what’s helpful to note is that:

You must click the box beside “e-Tourist Visa“ — for the next prompt, select “Recreation/Sightseeing“ (or select the other options if it’s more applicable to your situation).

Once done, check the box that says “I have read the instructions…” and then click the orange button that says “Continue”.

The next page will show you a longer form which asks for Applicant Details, Passport Details, Contact Details, Family Details, Visa Details, Purpose Details, Occupation Details, References, etc. I will NOT go into so much detail for every section because everything will be pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Some tips to remember while filling this out:

Under “References”, for the section where it asks for a reference in India, if you’re not visiting a family or friend, you can enter here the details of the hotel that you’ll be staying with. If you’re staying at multiple hotels, you can mention the first one you’re staying on.

There are 2 pages for this section, you can accomplish it all and click “Save and Continue” — or if you’re missing some info, you can “Save and Temporarily Exit”. Remember that once you click “Save and Continue“, you can NO longer change any of the information, so make sure you’ve got everything right.

Once you’re finished with the long form, the next pages will ask you to upload your photo AND your passport’s bio page.

Please take note of the specifications and file size limitations (as I’ve already previously mentioned in Step #2; rest assured, the page will remind you of such).

At this point, the website will give you the auto-generated Application ID # unique to you. Take note of this. (Rest assured, the details will be sent later on in an email, but it’s good practice still to write this number down or take a screenshot of the page).

The next step now will be to make the e-Visa fee payment… which I will discuss in the next section!

Step 5: Wait for the results of your E-Visa application

After you complete the whole online application, you’ll just have to wait for an email update from them that confirms that your E-Visa is “Granted”. If it is, they will proceed to send you your Electronic Travel Authorization or ETA.

This website is not the official website of Indian Embassies and only provides guideline information about Embassies and Conulates of Indiaon abroad and the foreign embassies and consulates in India.

www.embassy-india.com provides general information about the foreign embassies and consulates of India and has no affiliation with any of the featured embassies mentioned on its website. Embassy details may be subject to change without prior notice. www.embassy-india.com bears no responsibility for any such changes.